Meet the V-Team Ambassadors
V-Team Ambassadors
Interested in joining our ambassador program? Apply here.
Our Ambassadors
Aaron Diamond
Location: Jackson, WY
Top Gear Picks: Skyline 166cm / Hyper V-Tail 160cm and 190cm
Instagram: @aarondiamond13
Aaron Diamond is an AMGA Certified Splitboard Guide and avalanche educator based in Jackson, Wyoming. He guides year round for Exum Mountain Guides and has guided technical ski and snowboard descents on various Teton summits including the Grand Teton, Middle, Teton, Nez Perce, and Mt Moran. In the summer months Aaron works as an alpine climbing guide on Denali and throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He is alway psyched to share his backyard with experienced and new backcountry travelers
In his free time Aaron enjoys spending time in the splitboarding in the Tetons, or exploring the lesser known areas of the Alaska Range with his friends. He has first descents in the Tetons, Andes, and Alaska Range, including unrepeated splitboard descents of the Ramen Route on Mt Hunter (14,573ft), Mt Foraker’s Sultana Ridge (17,400ft), The Fat Calf Couloir on Pico Polaco (5995m) and the SE Face of the Gilkey Tower (12,320ft).
Ann Driggers
Location: Carbondale, CO
Top Gear Picks: V8 176cm
Instagram: @anndriggers
A Jill of all trades and a master at none, Ann is a weekend warrior and backcountry bon vivant who lives to hike, run, ride, paddle but mostly ski in the mountains of western Colorado.
Ann lives in Carbondale, Colorado, from which she aims to explore as much of the wild and beautiful places of her local geography as possible. She loves to begin her day with a backcountry dawn patrol, watching the sunrise from a local summit and then sliding into work wiping the powder from her grinning face. The weekends are spent skiing deep into the Elk Mountains, where devising new routes and truly connecting with nature, returning with memories, pictures and words with which to inspire others, are what makes her tick.
Brett "Kowboy" Kobernik
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Brett Kobernik has been with the Utah Avalanche Center since the 2004-2005 winter season. More affectionately known "Kowboy," Brett worked as a helicopter skiing guide in Valdez, Alaska during mid 90s, a backcountry ski and snowboard guide for Utah Mountain Adventures and has been a product tester and designer for Voile Equipment for more than 20 years. Brett single-handedly invented the splitboard and still does most of his UAC field work with one but also is well versed on skis, snowmobiles, and snowbikes as well. (Click here for a cool video profile of Brett.) Brett is also responsible for much of the technical "behind the scenes" work on the UAC's website and programing for the American Avalanche Association.
Mario Srnik
Location: Alberta, Canada
Top Gear Picks: Objective 164cm / SuperCharger 178cm
Website: www.skintrack.com
Instagram: @majocalgary
Mario "Majo" Srnik made his home in the Canadian Rockies a couple of decades ago. Originally from Slovakia, he's found a great appreciation for Canada's long approaches, steep terrain, and sometimes "sketchy" snowpack: a combination that makes climbing a mountain and then skiing down it even more interesting and adventurous. As a former competitive UltraRunning athlete, he loves incorporating movement on skis into big endurance goals. His direction of focus changed after a broken ankle injury a couple of years ago, and he's since realized that there are amazing places that a pair of skis can take you: places that "other people can only dream of."
Matt Zia
Location: Bozeman, MT
Top Gear Picks: Charger Ace 178cm / V8 186cm / OG Drifter 182cm with TTS
Website: www.montanamountaineering.org
Instagram: @ziapet / @montanamountaineering
Matt is a professional mountain guide and educator in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and is an AMGA Certified Rock guide and Assistant Alpine/Ski guide. He plans to finish his IFMGA certification and is one of only a handful of telemark ski guides. He currently works for Exum Mountain Guides and for the Montana Mountaineering Association, for which he is the Executive Director. As a person of mixed Chinese and American descent, he knows the importance of identifiable mentors in all aspects of life, both in the mountains and the valleys.
Matt’s passion for backcountry skiing lies in long adventures far from the road, and he counts bear spray as an essential part of his spring skiing kit. He can usually be found exploring the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with skis on his feet or ice tools in hand.
Mike Russell ("Tele Mike")
Location: Denver, CO
Top Gear Picks: V8 186cm / TTS Binding - Stiff
Instagram: @tele.mike
“Tele Mike” Russell has never seen a snowcapped mountain that he did not want to climb and ski. Fierce and soulful, Tele Mike is a big mountain Telemark Skier who is passionate about climbing technical routes and skiing exposed backcountry mountain descents on a global scale.
Tele Mike finds gratitude in guiding and showing anyone how to access the beauty of the mountain in a way that is safe, connected, empowering, and accessible, regardless of ability levels. His ultimate motivation is to amplify ALL voices in the backcountry ski community regardless of an individual’s labels or demographics. And due to his African and Native American heritage, Tele Mike has meticulously curated countless mountain experiences for BIPOC communities which provides positive mountain experiences to underrepresented groups, in an effort to bring about sustained physical and mental wellbeing, and inner peace, while overcoming generational fears of open spaces.
Tele Mike also loves to use his artistry to create short cinematic heartfelt mountain adventure films to show people of color that there are other people adventuring in the mountains who look like them, enjoying safe open spaces.
Nick D'Alessio
Location: Girdwook, AK
Top Gear Picks: Hyper V8 193cm / Charger Ace 185cm
Website: www.remarkableadv.com
Instagram: @nick.dalessio / @remarkable.adv
Facebook Business Page: Remarkable Adventures
Born and raised in New Hampshire, Nick began climbing and skiing mountains as soon as he could walk. His drive for wild places brought him to Alaska in 2007 and he never left. As an AMGA Certified Ski Guide, Nick teaches avalanche courses, guides backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering trips all over Alaska's great mountain ranges. His career has become his lifestyle and he wouldn't have it any other way. When not working, Nick is taking his enthusiasm deeper into the hills and rivers on personal trips. Nick loves to share his knowledge about safe mountain travel and looks forward to sharing his passion for the mountains with you.
Shaun Raskin
Location: Park City, UT
Top Gear Picks: V8 181cm / SuperCharger 178cm / HyperCharger 178cm
Website: www.InspiredSummit.com
Instagram: @shaunraskin / @inspiredsummitadventures
Facebook Business Page: Inspired Summit Adventures
Living each moment to it’s fullest has lead Shaun on this wild journey. From NY to Colorado to now Utah, she has spent over a decade chasing her dreams. Shaun’s passion for skiing is what has been the engine behind her actions. First as a big mountain competitive skier, then sponsored pro, to now avalanche educator, guide, and business owner. It is even how she and her husband, Weston D met. Now living in Park City with their two dogs and daughter, Shaun continues to pursue her dreams whether as a big mountain skier, web series co-creator, AIARE avalanche instructor, backcountry and cat ski guide or owner of a wellness guiding company, Inspired Summit Adventures. She began this journey with nothing more than a dream of becoming a professional skier not sure where it would lead, but today finds herself humbly sitting amongst many of her heroes living the dream.
Ty Guarino
Location: Bozeman, MT
Skis: V8 186cm / Charger Ace 178cm
Website: www.TelemarkTy.com
Instagram: @ty.guarino
Ty is a career Mountain Guide and Ski Patroller currently working for Exum Mountain Guides, Beartooth Mountain Guides, Montana Mountaineering Association and Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol. He is the only active American IFMGA Mountain Guide working solely on Telemark gear. Originally from southern New Hampshire, Ty developed his passion for Backcountry skiing on the eastern flanks of Mt Washington in New Hampshire’s Presidential range. Currently Residing in Bozeman Montana, Ty skis as much as possible in and around the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Although Bridger Bowl is his home mountain, Ty likes to explore other skiing venues including Alaska, South America, New Zealand, and New England.
Weston Deutschlander
Location: Park City, UT
Top Gear Picks: V8 193cm / SuperCharger 185cm
Website: www.InspiredSummit.com
Instagram: @thewestond / @inspiredsummitadventures
Facebook Business Page: Inspired Summit Adventures
Weston is one of the smarter New Yorker's and fled the state as soon as he could. After arriving in Utah, the snow addiction took a firm hold. Once he learned the freedom of a beacon, probe, shovel, skins and a good partner, he started venturing further and further off the beaten path. Today Weston spends his summers and winters guiding all while trying to play as much as possible on the side.